Infuriating: People Not Using Headphones On Planes & In Airports

Maybe this is more of a big picture life question than an airport or airplane question. Maybe I need to see a therapist to figure out why this makes me so nervous. I want to know how the OMAAT community feels about this.

A surprising number of people think it is appropriate to do various activities without headphones in public.

I don't know what to think. It was at all. I don't think the world should be like Japan, but how is it that people think so? It is worse to do this in an airport lounge, which is supposed to be a place to escape from the hustle, than it is in a public place.

The noise is frustrating, but it's how selfish it is that gets me. What goes through a person's mind when they watch TV on their phone? When flying to and from Miami, it's more of an issue than in most other markets. It's an accepted practice.

Some examples from today…

I want to show you a few examples of what I am talking about from this morning. There was a person waiting to enter the lounge who was sitting on his bag and listening to a song. I don't have a problem with the music but without headphones.

I moved quickly when I sat near the person conducting the video call without headphones.

The man sitting next to me was watching soccer game highlights. Since it was in Spanish, I was able to hear the 30-second scream. A few rows from me, someone started playing a video game without headphones, and I assume it was based on the sound.

How do you handle these situations?

How are you feeling about this? I'm not sure if I'm off base for not using headphones in public, or if I'm the only one who needs to get over myself.

Put on a pair of noise canceling headphones, that's what some people say. It doesn't work all that well While noise canceling headphones do a good job of canceling out noises like aircraft engines, they don't do a good job of canceling out other audio, like people talking, music, etc.

What is the correct way to deal with the things that annoy you? I am not as active as I used to be. I don't like conflicts because I'm tired and don't think they're worth it. I don't like myself for not saying anything.

What is the right thing to do?

• Not say anything, and just deal with it? That’s what I’ve been doing, but I’m also irked, so…
• Say something directly to the person? This would be the most satisfying, but is also most likely to lead to a confrontation, which I’m looking to avoid
• Bring it to the attention of the flight attendant and lounge staff? I hate putting them in an uncomfortable situation, and sometimes it can be hard to handle this subtly
• Buy headphones in bulk, and passive aggressively hand them out as needed? This actually seems sorta fun and productive 😉
• Take the “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” approach, and simply blast something louder than the person who is being annoying, to prove a point? I can’t decide whether this would work well or lead to a bad situation

I know I won't be able to change the world and get people to stop being selfish. It feels good to be able to talk about it, in hopes that I won't be alone in my feelings.

Bottom line

Some people think it is acceptable to blast their phone calls, TV shows, music, and video games for everyone on an airplane. I think I shouldn't be surprised that the public isn't very nice to others. This still hurts me...

I'm annoyed by this practice as well. How do you handle it if it's true?